How to Start Sewing for Beginners

Are you interested in sewing but you’re not sure where to start? Well….I’m going to give you some of my best tips on how to start sewing. In this blog post, I want to teach you how to start from the very beginning and what tools you will need to get started. It can be overwhelming to know where to begin because there is so much information out there and so many ways to go about sewing.

Tools needed to start sewing

First of all you’ll need to gather some tools before you begin to sew. Below is a few things I recommend you get to start out with.

1. Good fabric scissors
2. A measuring tape
3. Pins & Pin cushion (maybe a couple)
4. A cutting table ( you can use your kitchen table but it may be hard on the back long term)
5. Chalk fabric marker or a fabric pencil
6. Thread
7. Bobins
8. Seam ripper
9. Fabric
10. Pattern
11. Sewing Machine (A serger is nice as well but you don’t have to have one to get started)

Now let me teach you how to start sewing

So now that you have a list of tools you’ll need to begin, we can start taking about the sewing process.

Decide on a pattern

First of all, you’re going to need to decide what you want to sew. I recommend starting with something simple at first then move on to harder things as you gain experience. Something like some pillow covers or a skirt can be a good place to start. You should look for a pattern with simple straight seams to start off with and not a lot of weird curves. Look online or in a fabric store for a pattern that you like and then move on to deciding on fabric.

Find your fabric

Next, you should look on the back of the pattern or online to find out what fabrics are recommended for your specific pattern. Don’t try to venture too far from the recommendations starting out. You can be more experimental later on. Also, you may not want to use patterned fabric that needs to be lined up right at first, like stripes. This can be a bit of a task when you’re starting out so if you use a patterned fabric make sure it’s something like dots or something that has a more random pattern that you don’t need to match up at the seams.

Once, you have narrowed down the type of fabric you need you can go to your local fabric store or search online for something you like. Online can be a bit harder as you can’t feel the fabric and know how it will lay but you can order swatches first if you are unsure and then order a bigger piece once you’ve seen the swatches and decided on one.

Practice using your machine

Next, you are going to need to get familiar with how your machine works before starting on your project. Get some cheep or scrap fabric and learn how the buttons work and get familiar with the settings. You can read your machines manual or look up some tutorials online for how to use your machine. It is important to do this first as you don’t want to ruin your good fabric and it will save you some mistakes when your sewing your actual product. Learn how to thread your machine as well. You may want to do it a few times to get comfortable with it.

Measure twice and cut once

Measuring accurately is very important. You need to measure your body or whoever will be wearing the garment you are making to ensure you choose the right size. If you’re making a decorative item for you’re home you will need to get the measurements for the item you need to sew up. There will be different steps to this depending on what you’re sewing so don’t be afraid to ask for help or look online for directions on how to measure. Make sure your measurements are accurate because this will make a big difference in how your garment fits.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes

When you’re sewing you will make mistakes. We all do and that is how we learn. Don’t be scarred to make a mistake. You can always rip out… it will just take some extra time but that is ok. Maybe even buy extra fabric so that you can redo pieces if needed. The best way to avoid mistakes is to take your time and make a muslin with some practice fabric. If you make a muslin before making your real garment in will help you work out some of the issues before sewing up the good fabric.

Start arranging your pattern pieces and cutting out

Now that you’ve done all your practicing you can start on the real garment. Make sure you’re familiar with the steps and go ahead and lay out your fabric. Normally, you will be laying out your fabric so that it is folded over once. If you need help with this, do some searching online for some tutorials. Then arrange all your pattern pieces and pin them to your fabric before you start cutting. The reason you want to arrange all the pieces first is so that you ensure you will have enough fabric before cutting out. You also may want to try different arrangements to ensure you are making the most of your fabric however, ensure the pieces are going in the same direction in most cases. Make sure to mark all your notches.

Sew your garment

Now, you’re ready to start sewing up your garment. You will need to read the directions on your pattern to find out where to start as the order in which you sew up your seams is very important. You will want to pin together the pieces you are going to sew up to ensure they don’t move out of place then, sew up the seam. Don’t pull your fabric through the machine or you may break your needle or machine. Let the machine do the work and just gently guide it. Make sure to iron each seam as you sew. This is super important to ensure your garment will look nice in the end. Don’t leave ironing to the end, iron as you go. If you have a serger finish off your seams as needed.

Now you have a nice ready to wear garment or item to use in your home. Make sure to look over your item and snip and long hanging threads and give it one last press with the iron.

There are lots of other little tips and tricks I can give but it won’t all fit into one blog post… 😉 You can check out my 10 Top Tips for Sewing here. My best advise is to take your time and don’t be afraid to make mistakes, it happens to us all. Keep trying and you will succeed!